With economic turmoil spreading from financial markets to local communities, it’s a tough season for raising funds to start or support good causes. Join us for this free event on December 10th to explore diverse ideas and new models for “financing the good.”

Panelists representing banking, angel investing, micro-philanthropy, and grant funding will discuss innovative approaches for funding social change that reflect shifts in the way their organizations do business. Specifically, they will highlight opportunities for "average" Portlanders to obtain funding for their social change projects and visions.

During the workshop segment, learn tips and tricks for obtaining one of Portland's community building or environmental grants, discover how community currency can fund social change, talk with a lawyer about how to apply for a 501(c)(3), learn how a social stock market generates seed funding for launching good ideas and how to implement "sustaining strategies."

Panelists: Mark Moffenbier, Shorebank Pacific Mark Holloway, Social Venture Partners Portland Amy Pearl, ChangeXchange Social Stock Market Joy Hunt, Vision into Action Grants

Workshops Angela Southwick, Neighbors West-Northwest Neighborhood Grants Emily Rice, Community Watershed Stewardship Program Environmental Grants Janelle Geddes, Metro Grants John Brown, Rooms for Peace Alan Rosenblith, Community Prosper, community currency Nancy Murray, Community Development Legal Clinic

The forum is sponsored by Portland-based nonprofit, Springboard Innovation. Springboard's mission is to launch community-led community change. The purpose of the forum is to empower "average" Portlanders with the resources and tools needed to take action to solve problems our society is facing.

June's Forum focuses on sustainability. How do you implement innovation in a way that creates lasting change? How do you preserve and maintain the change you've worked for? This month's forum will guide you through both of these considerations, the two sides of real sustainability. Join us to share your ideas and discuss emerging local and national concepts and projects and how they are sustaining the good! The Springboard Social Innovation Forum offers a monthly event designed to support those interested in creating a better future. Our focus is to help practitioners or potential practitioners of social projects push beyond discussion and debate into action. Each Forum will inspire and teach with ideas, powerful role models, and stories. Speakers, content experts, panels, and workshops will help you improve your strategies for planning and launching effective social ventures. The Forum will create a context to connect, learn, and take action around ideas that lead to tangible change—all in a venue designed for building community. Cost is $5.00 at the door.

Art Exhibit: Profane Relics--- An Ossuary of the Congo Mineral Wars, an installation by Ryan Burns

Opening Reception: Thursday, July 2 from 5-10pm Community Dinner + Dialogue: Saturday, July 11 from 5-7pm

Sea Change Gallery, 625 NW Everett, Gallery #110, Portland www.seagallery.wordpress.com

The installation presents “artifacts” of the past twenty years of war and mineral exploitation in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Partially unearthed artifacts of cultural disarticulation, corporately funded wars, crude hand-tools of small pit mining, skeletal traces of bush meat trade are jumbled together with discarded iPhones, blackberries and obsolete laptops.

But, the exhibit won't merely wallow in despair. In accordance with SEA Change Gallery's mandate of social and environmental change, the curators are organizing a public brainstorming discussion to look for sustainable solutions to the coltan addiction. The free event will include a Congolese dinner and encourage community dialogue. Speakers from Mercy Corps, Run for Congo Women, and "Apocalypse Found" author Casey Bush will share their knowledge about the conflict, discuss solutions they are helping implement, and brainstorm ways to take action.

RSVP to [email protected]

Our July Forum will offer an exciting shift in format. We get to participate in the launch of Family Forward, a new nonprofit focused on inspiring workplaces, communities, and policies that value families.

Did you know that motherhood is the single biggest predictor of poverty in old age? What does this say about our community’s priorities and values? Join us for an evening of thought-provoking discussion about the economics of family-raising, the crisis of care, and what we can do to set a new course in Oregon. We will hear from experienced leaders who are working for family forward change on a number of fronts: employment, parent activism, women’s leadership, state policy, and more. We will work together to develop a new vision for a Family Forward Oregon. Please join us! Date: Wednesday, July 8th Doors open at 5:30pm Forum 6-9pm Cost: $5 Location: Urban Grind East 2214 NE Oregon St.

Portland has long been known as a bastion for creative people and innovative projects. But how might that creative energy be channeled toward social change work and nurturing justice? SJF leaders will jump-start this conversation and you take it from there!

RSVP at http://www.socialjusticefund.org/tech-savvy-social-justice-innovator

We'll be talking about issues of diversity, accountability and representation in nonprofit technology and technology in general. Presenters will cover topics like:

• Building diversity in tech teams, and why diversity is critical to success whether you're for-profit or nonprofit.

• Local and national projects by nonprofits to broaden the types of people who get involved in technology and programming as young people.

• Local and national efforts by nonprofits to address sexism and racism that often plays out within "tech culture."

• The state of the Portland tech community when it comes to inclusion and accountability, especially as it relates to sexism and racism.

PRESENTERS

Melissa Chavez is a digital and physical space UX designer who organizes events for tech and nonprofit communities. Open Source Bridge, the Pacific Northwest Software Quality Conference, PyDX, and Portland VegFest are some of the events she helps run. Reading YA novels helps keep her sane. Twitter: @capnleela

Jennifer Davidson works at Intel as a User Experience Researcher and Software Interaction Designer. She recently completed her PhD in Computer Science at Oregon State University, where she researched human-computer interaction, specifically involving older adults in the design and development of open source software. She is Interim Board President of ChickTeck. She strongly believes that everyone should have a say in our technology revolution. Twitter: @jewifer

Robert Raleigh is helping underserved youth build successful careers as technology professionals in the software/IT industries. Robert is a front-end web developer, and the executive director of Log Camp, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) providing technology-focused career-and-technical education for low-income youth, and youth from communities of color. Log Camp's Tech Works Youth Developer Academy and after-school enrichment programming have created a diverse youth talent pipeline. Log Camp works with corporate, nonprofit, government, and educational partners to increase diversity and equitable access to technology, coding, and computer science education for youth in the Portland metro region. Robert is an Alaskan Native (Tlingit), a first-generation college graduate, and a former foster-child. In the past, Robert has worked for the Corvallis Chamber of Commerce, Technology Association of Oregon, and Oregon Health Sciences University. Robert is an active member of the NAYA Family Center Community Leaders Council, and the Portland City Club. Twitter: @RobertGRaleigh

Jennifer Cazares, better known as "Yenni," identifies as a vessel for social change. As a non-binary Queer Latin@, Yenni began the journey in activism at the ripe age of 15 when after taking over the high school Key Club was able to enlist over 70 active volunteers in community events. Despite leaving high school on the suspicion of a queer identity and experiencing fear of coming out due to a Latin@ upbringing, Yenni made it to engineering school in Oregon where due to the lack of support for diversity Yenni was pushed out. Having dedicated the last decade to positive youth development in various arenas of the youth empowerment movement with organizations such as Altamed, Six Rivers Planned Parenthood, ChickTech, Northwest Youth Corps, and currently with LULAC Vancouver. Yenni looks forward to creating change through the power of education and technology. Lover of the outdoors and all things living. "Dropping knowledge and love everywhere I go." (Pronouns: Yenni)

TWITTER

Event: Use the #pdxt4g hashtag, and/or mention @PDXTech4Good
Presenters: @capnleela @jewifer @RobertGRaleigh
Venue host: @idealist
Sponsors: @NTENorg and @NetSquared

AGENDA

Networking and refreshments: 6pm-6:30pm
Presentation: 6:30pm-7:30pm
Q&A: 7:30pm-8pm

WHAT YOU'LL GET OUT OF PDXTECH4GOOD EVENTS

Nonprofit staffers will find a friendly, welcoming atmosphere for those not experienced with technology, and many chances to ask questions of tech-experienced nonprofits and experts.

Techies will find opportunities to hear the real-world stories of nonprofit clients, and put their own expertise to social good — as well as the potential for lasting relationships (be they paid or volunteer) with leading organizations in our community.

Activists and community organizers will see and be given the chance to present on successful uses of technology for social change. We'll explore how technology can help support activism and where activism can push it forward.

"In diversity there is beauty and there is strength." - Maya Angelou

Design has the power to permeate every product, moment, and solution in our lives.

At the same time, diversity of thought leads to innovations in design that have the power to transform everyday life.

The question is, how do we design products, services & environments that reflect a diversity of experiences and perspectives, which are shaped by things like race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual identity, ability/disability and location, among other factors?

Please join us and our incredible panel of diversity, design + technology leaders, as we seek to address what diversity means, not only in the world of design and technology, but in the world at large.

About our panelists:

Tyesha Snow has spent more than a decade creating and shaping interactive experiences and successfully managing software products, working with some of the world’s largest agencies to create brand affinity for Fortune 500 companies in multiple industries.

James Pritchett is an award-winning designer, known for delivering out-of-the-box concepts, dynamic visuals and innovative strategies for online and print delivery. His background includes acclaimed work on campaigns for startups to leading Fortune 500 brands. He is currently founder & CEO of The More Company.

Joy Alise Davis is a collaborative design strategist and interdisciplinary social practitioner. She is a founding partner of Design Culture Lab, a research-based social lab dedicated to the transformation of neighborhoods through collaborative design strategies that address complex spatial issues of cultural, racial and ethnic inequality.

An expert in front-end web development and UI, Darren Bruckner has been designing and building quality websites and web applications for major companies for almost 10 years. He’s currently founder and CEO of Workfrom.

About our moderator:

Stephen Green is currently serving as community director of Elevate Capital and has over 10 years of experience connecting small/diverse businesses owners to the resources they need.

There's been a recent shift in how activists are trying to bring about social change, and SJF is at the forefront of this shift.

Come find out how you can get involved!

This article has a great breakdown on this new trend of entrepreneurial activism:

For some activists, being entrepreneurial has meant the following things: treating their activist work like a business, turning to popular social media platforms to put out their own press releases and looking for people to invest in their initiative with money and not just good faith.

More about the hosting organizations:

Social Justice Fund Northwest is a foundation working at the frontlines of social change. They leverage the resources of their members to foster significant, long-term social justice solutions throughout Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana & Wyoming.

PDXNALTA is a networking group for underrepresented people of color in tech.

Idealist is all about connecting idealists - people who want to do good - with opportunities for action and collaboration. With more than 100,000 organizations and 1.4 million monthly visitors to our English, Spanish & French sites, Idealist helps people move from intention to action all over the world.

We hear a lot about the entrepreneurs, engineers, and companies that shape the digital landscape. But what about the communities that radicalize and transform the world, enacting power from below, using digital technology?

With a series of guest speakers and artists from Portland’s tech and creative scene, we will examine:

• The question of digital globalization and the emergence of tech in Africa, Latin America, and in indigenous communities.
• What it means to be an engineer: How do gender, race, and place affect who is recognized as such, and who is not?
• The relationship of Black aesthetics, girl culture, and the global arts to the digital world, which draws heavily from this creativity in form and content.
• Ways to advocate for distributing digital resources to marginalized groups in the Portland area and beyond.

Instructor: Ali Colleen Neff, Ph.D. is a digital anthropologist, UX researcher, and the founder of CultureEncode, a center for advocacy and consulting for digital diversity.

Learn more and sign up here: https://www.pugspdx.com/march-2018-courses/digital-undergrounds